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Limestone Way: the mysteries of Mayfield

The walk from Ellastone to Mayfield and back turned out to be longer and more interesting than I had expected. I discovered bullet holes in a church door, a very strange football goal, and an unusual way of generating electricity.


It was the middle of July, and it finally felt like summer. Starting by Ellastone Bridge, I followed the Limestone Way: first a track through the Calwich Abbey estate, then a sharp left to head to the east of Ellastone, with the church ahead forming a scene like a picture postcard.

entrance to Calwich Abbey estate

Ellastone church

I ascended to a ridge of high ground which I would follow all the way to Mayfield. The surrounding countryside folded itself into wooded valleys and sunlit hills. I spotted a few chunks of limestone on the Limestone Way.



Having recently read The Insect Crisis by Oliver Milman, I hoped the fields of long grass and flowers I was walking through were helping the local insect population. I couldn't tell if they counted as traditional hay meadows, but they certainly hadn't been grazed to the ground.


I squeezed through a tight gap between holly bushes and headed down a lane lined with pretty cottages, towards Upper Mayfield. There were chickens, cats, and sheep with big curly horns.


Then I reached Gallowstree Lane, saw a house with its own cemetery, and realised I was aiming for Hanging Bridge - hmm, cheerful place, this! One story is that the bridge got its name after some executions there during Bonnie Prince Charlie's retreat, but the Mayfield Heritage website asserts confidently that it was called Hanging Bridge long before those events.



It now carries the A52 across the River Dove. You can see the pointed arches of the old bridge underneath the rounded arches of the widened version. I crossed the river and took a footpath on the other side towards Clifton. 



I came across a patch of grass with a bench and an information board. I was surprised to discover that this was the former site of Clifton Mill, and the Down'Ards goal for Ashbourne's Shrovetide football. I knew about the chaotic game, played yearly at the start of Lent, but had assumed it was confined to a short length of the high street. Here was a goal, over a mile out of town! Turns out the two goals are three miles apart on the Henmore Brook.


stand in stream and hit ball on millstone

It was a nice spot for lunch, anyway. Then I crossed a small and functional bridge over the Dove to reach a still-existing mill, home of of Mayfield Yarns. I passed the purpose-built workers' houses and followed the road a short way to St John the Baptist Church.




Here Bonnie Prince Charlie popped up again - or at least some of his army, who fired shots at the church's west door. The bullet holes are still there today.



 The next section was a little tedious, traipsing across flat fields. I could tell the river was there, because every other tree had a Private Fishing sign on it, but I couldn't see any water. After a while I climbed a slope and followed an elevated track. That was much better - easy walking and beautiful views.


Calwich Abbey (remains of)

I went past the derelict remains of Calwich Abbey (visited by Handel, apparently) and was soon back at Ellastone Bridge. Since I had a little more time, I crossed the Dove again and took a path which I thought might lead me to Norbury Old Manor. It didn't; but I discovered an Archimedes Screw in the river. Later investigation online told me that it is owned by a company called Dove Renewables, not the National Trust as I had originally assumed.


boundary marker on Ellastone Bridge
 

I'd walked ten miles and it was starting to rain - definitely time to head home. Mayfield and its surroundings had been more interesting than I expected. And I hadn't found all Mayfield's secrets yet, as I was to discover on my next walk.

Ellastone - Mayfield 16 km / 10 miles

15 July 2024

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